Got my curiosity on that topic, had not seen anything on it.  So Google found some info.  I quit reading when I read the venue itself is recommending anyone above row 40 download an app for phone, then listen on headphones to soundboard feed.  I am surmising Denver has grown so much that residents are unhappy.  Like people complaining about a racetrack after moving by a racetrack, same stuff happens.  Denver itself is a nightmare anymore in general, way crowded.   Glad I saw the Bro's at Red Rocks before it became such a sad thing.

@bird72 about the Row 40 thing, that was just for the first Test of the system and they mentioned 40 and up because they wanted to test the bandwidth with a smaller data set.  But the question remains, has anybody on this page been to Red Rocks since 2016 and can you still hear the show up in the upper 3rd of the venue?

Posted by: @joe_the_lurker

@bird72 about the Row 40 thing, that was just for the first Test of the system and they mentioned 40 and up because they wanted to test the bandwidth with a smaller data set.  But the question remains, has anybody on this page been to Red Rocks since 2016 and can you still hear the show up in the upper 3rd of the venue?

Ahhh..............  Well, I will be curious as to your take on it after experiencing.  It is about the only venue I like in the sort of proximity to me.  When I start spending more time in New Mexico I will be half a day closer driving than now in Montana.  Please post your experience afterward!

@bird72 I will.  The Mixhalo thing is really something brand new and may be a paradigm shift for live music going forward.  The rationale is that musicians have been wearing in ear monitors for decades so why not the audience too?  I'm a snob and usually only go to shows if I can get in the first 10 rows, but this new technology allows everyone in the arena or venue to hear the best mix directly from the soundboard, and some shows even allow you to adjust your own mix on your own phone, turning specific channels up and down.  More Derek!   I stopped going to arena shows if I was way up in the rafters because the sound is always terrible. The idea of wearing earbuds at a concert is rather alien to me, but it might be cool.  The only thing for me is I have airpods and they are wireless and this new tech recommends wired headphones because there may be a micro delay with the bluetooth, which would destroy the whole idea...  Apparently this tech even geolocates you in the venue and gives you the sound at the same time the house speakers hit you. 

I've seen two shows there - I think one was before 2016 and one was 2017.  I wasn't aware of the sound decibel change and didn't notice any problems hearing the music.  Pretty sure the 2017 show I was somewhere in the upper half of the stands.

I love the location with the stage and amphitheater being in the natural stone and the city lights beyond the stage.  But for me, there is something about the crowds there that have annoyed me both times (headliner show 1 was Railroad Earth headliner show 2 was Mule).  As I get older I dislike and get bothered by certain people in crowds and rude people.  It's not just Red Rocks, it's pretty much everywhere, but surprisingly I didn't really enjoy either time I was there due to the people who were around me and I haven't wanted to go back much - which is a shame because it's beautiful venue. 

@nebish that’s a damn shame. I love Railroad Earth and obviously Mule.  The only prob I ever had at those shows was I had front row Mule in Tulsa and it was a sit down show! 

was the crowd loud? Hard to get in and out of those long rows?  What was it that was annoying?  I think annoying crowds is the main reason I always try to get way up close because then the crowd doesn’t matter because you’re so blown away with the band right in front of you the crowd doesn’t even exist. But that’s not always the case. I spring for 6th row center VIP for Tom Petty’s last tour and the rich 1%er A Holes right in front of us talked so much that I couldn’t even hear Tom at some parts. And at one point they were literally watching cat videos on YouTube……

It is the depth, front to back, of the rows that created the problem.  Both shows we had row #, seat # tickets, not general admission and they were near the aisle.  The row is so deep that if you are sitting or standing in your spot on the bench, people would just come in and stand right in front of you.  You'd say something to people and some acted like they didn't hear or didn't care.  It happened repeatedly to the point I envisioned getting into a fight and being thrown out of the show.  You know, I'm giving people elbows to let them know "hey you aren't supposed to be hear, this is my spot".  Just the attitude some people have, but it is the depth of the row that allowed it to happen, in a normal venue you barely have enough room to stand in front of your own seat let alone have two people stacked in that space.  If we weren't near the aisle it wouldn't have been much of a problem because roamers aren't going to navigate all the way to the middle of the row just to stand around.

I haven't been there since what you describe transpired so I can't answer your specific question. My experience is I never had any problems getting in/out of rows, moving around, etc. Getting in and out of the venue was never a problem either. 

Regarding the sound, it was always great no matter where I was and that was all over the venue. I will add this: when you go up to the top, the air affects you. I had difficulty breathing when I walked toward the top. Kind of like what athletes experience at Mile High Stadium and at the Nuggets. I never had a problem at Coors Field but boy when you walk up high at Red Rocks, you can tell.     

Red Rocks ROCKS!  I saw the Dead there 3 shows in early September, 1983.  It was late summer and the setting was in one of the most beautiful states in the country.  Everyone had fun!  Just go and do the same.  Here's to the Rocky Mountain High! 😎